Sales Director, France

Role Summary

The Sales Director will work closely with the Country Manager of Russell Investments France, to strengthen the development on French market with a focus on the Wealth/wholesale segment.

This role will be responsible for covering Russell's expertise across all the business channels, OCIO/FM, Customised Portfolio Solutions and Private Markets, growing the business through sales, developing close relationships and a regular program of meetings with strong potential clients and prospects. The Sales Director will also be in charge of sourcing and monitoring RFI/RFP that would match Russell's fields of expertise.

The focus will be on promoting Investment and Efficiency bespoke solutions, across traditional liquid strategies and Private Markets. A strong focus on partnerships and Solutions is required: the aim is to develop new partnerships by capitalising on the successes in Research, Technology and the unique Investment open architecture of Russell Investments. The target segments will be Wealth Management (Private Banks, IFA networks), Insurance companies Unit-Linked, as well as institutional investors with a focus on pension plans in France. A familiarity with the francophone European markets (Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, Switzerland) would be a plus.

This role will operate from Russell Investments France, the local Asset Management company of the Russell Investments group. The selected Sales Director will directly report to the Country Manager France. The Country Manager will also rely on input from relevant functional managers in EMEA for the annual year­end review cycle (performance and compensation) and any regulatory requirements in the relevant regional jurisdiction.

The responsibilities of the individual in this position include:

Business & Growth Development

• Identify and build relationships with targeted Wealth Management and distribution prospects (Insurers UL, Private banks, IFAs networks) as well as Institutional investors in France and francophone Europe, with the goal of generating new business and creating long-lasting high-end Partnerships.
• Build solutions for the Wealth segment.
• Identify suitable Russell Investments services and products.
• Develop appropriate presentations and positioning of Russell Investments in these areas.
• Position Russell Investments as a trusted partner.
• Work closely with the Country Manager-France, the EMEA sales force and the London supporting teams to structure relationships.
• Deliver Russell Investments content and knowledge to targeted Wealth Managers.
• Position the firm’s services within their business to make them increasingly dependent on Russell Investments.
• Provide Capital Market Insights and Fund & Investment updates including asset allocation.
• Provide ongoing investment knowledge, training & support.
• Play an active role in the organisation of sales events (Webinar, Roadshows,etc... ).
• Map the target market trends and players.

Relationships Development

• Handle prospects requests.
• Schedule meetings & follow-ups.
• Collaborate with the Client Service, Compliance and Investment Division on existing accounts (Agreements, KYC, etc....)

Sales Projects

• Work and drive on specific Sales project (ex: ESG taxonomy and labelling for strategies and funds, global distribution agreements, partnership terms, Private Assets solutions, Efficiency solutions).
• Provide feedback to Russell Investments about the evolution and requirements of the distribution networks.
• Input into the product enhancement cycle/new products.
• Assist with development of centralised Distributors database.

Regulatory & Business conduct

• Display exemplary conduct and live by our organization’s Code of Conduct.
• Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct across the business
• Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate and resolve risk, conduct and compliance.

The successful candidate will have extensive demonstrable skills and experiences including the following:

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent, ideally in economics or finance related discipline.
• Ideally 10/15 years + experience in business development in the asset management industry, with a focus on the Wealth segment (Exceptional candidates with less experience will be considered)
• Proven ability to develop a senior quality network based on customised solutions.
• AMF certification required - if not, the examination must be completed within six months of its integration.
• Familiarity with Multi Management / open architecture is essential.
• Strong presentation skills
• Excellent client service and communication skills (oral and written)
• Ability to communicate effectively and knowledgeably with both colleagues and prospective clients.
• Good English language skills (oral and written) for internal communication and fluency in French.
• Maintains regular contact and builds strong working partnerships; acts with urgency and works hard to address demands.
• Effectively manages expectations and delivers value-added service.
• Perfect command of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Good understanding of the Wealth segment in France.
• Strong product and investment expertise.